Egypt

CAIRO: Egypt’s army on Thursday said 47 militants and five of its troops were killed as part of its military offensive in the restive Sinai Peninsula, where it is fighting the Islamic State group. The suspected militants had “guns of different makes, ammunition, explosive devices in northern and central Sinai” in their possession, according to a slickly produced video statement posted on the armed forces’ social media accounts. As part of the wide-ranging operation to secure Egypt’s borders, 158 “criminal elements” were arrested. The armed forces also neutralised 385 explosive devices that insurgents planted targeting security forces. The army did not specify when the deaths and arrests took place, saying only that they happened as part of “recent efforts” against jihadists. The Sinai Peninsula, in the north-east of the country, is the epicentre of a hardened Islamist insurgency spearheaded by IS. In February 2018, the army launched … [Read more...] about 47 suspected militants, 5 troops killed in Egypt’s Sinai: Army

CAIRO: An Egyptian man was sentenced on Sunday (May 12) to death by hanging for a deadly attack on a Cairo church in 2017 claimed by the Islamic State militant group, a judicial source said.Ten people including a police officer were killed as the assailant targeted the Saint Mina Coptic church in Helwan, on the southern outskirts of Cairo.According to the authorities, the attacker was armed with an assault rifle, ammunition and a bomb he intended to detonate at the church.A Cairo criminal court sentenced the man for "murdering nine Copts and a policeman, possessing weapons and forming a terrorist group linked to IS," the source said.A second man, who is on the run, was sentenced to death in absentia, the source added.Two others were sentenced in absentia to life in prison, four received 10-year terms and two were given three years each in prison. Another defendant was acquitted.All of those convicted have the possibility to appeal.Coptic Christians, who account for around 10 percent of … [Read more...] about Egypt condemns man to death for Cairo church attack

Egypt's antiquities ministry on Saturday unveiled a 4,500-year-old burial ground near the Giza pyramids containing colorful wooden coffins and limestone statues dating back to the Old Kingdom. The site on the southeastern side of Giza plateau contains tombs and burial shafts from various periods, but the oldest is a limestone family tomb from the fifth dynasty (around 2500 BC), the ministry said. An AFP photographer who was allowed to access the burial shaft saw inscriptions on the walls, intricately painted wooden sarcophagi and sculptures of animals and humans. The ministry said the tomb was that of two people: Behnui-Ka, who had seven titles including the Priest and the Judge, and Nwi, also known as Chief of the Great State and "purifier" of the pharoah Khafre. Read also: Egypt unveils colorful Fifth Dynasty tomb Khafre, known to the Ancient Greeks as Chephren, built the second of the three famous Pyramids of Giza. "Many artifacts were discovered in the tomb," the ministry … [Read more...] about Egypt uncovers Old Kingdom cemetery

ROME: Egyptian police arrested and beat an Italian student who was later found murdered because they thought he was a British spy, according to fresh testimony reported by Italian newspapers on Sunday. The account of how Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old doctoral researcher at Britain’s Cambridge University, disappeared in Cairo in January 2016 came from a witness who overheard an Egyptian intelligence agent speaking about “the Italian guy”, La Repubblica newspaper said. The conversation about the tumultuous situation in Egypt in Arabic took place at a police convention in an unnamed African country in 2017 and was related to Italian prosecutors who have now asked Egyptian authorities for more information. The Italian foreign ministry tweeted Sunday that it “supports the Rome prosecutor’s request for information, in the strong hope that it contributes to the path of justice for Giulio Regeni.” The unnamed eavesdropper learned the Egyptian’s name … [Read more...] about Egypt thought murdered Italian student was spy: Report

HURGHADA, Egypt: In serene turquoise waters off Egypt's Red Sea coast, scuba divers ease among delicate pink jellyfish and admire coral - yet a rebounding tourism sector threatens the fragile marine ecosystem.The Red Sea is a top scuba diving destination, but Egypt's tourism sector was buffeted by a wave of security shocks through much of this decade, before a partial recovery since 2017.A diving instructor in the town of Hurghada, a top resort, warned that the rebound brought dangers for the corals.Before the decline in visitors "there was way too much activity because it was so cheap" he said, asking to remain anonymous."In some areas, they've disappeared - although in others we see they're coming back".The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says coral reefs are among "the most beautiful, biologically diverse and delicate ecosystems in the world".It describes these resources as vital to maintaining food supply and protecting the shorelines of low-lying island … [Read more...] about Egypt’s rebounding tourism threatens Red Sea corals